There are strong indications that Senators are poised for a showdown over today (Tuesday)’s confirmation hearing of a Presidential Media Aide, Ms Lauretta Onochie, who was nominated by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), for appointment as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, today (Tuesday).

Onochie, alongside five others, was screened for the position of INEC National Commissioner by the Senate Committee on INEC, on Thursday.

Senators across party lines will be given an opportunity to either confirm or reject her nomination. Her nomination has attracted condemnation from a large section of Nigerians who argue that she is too partisan to be an INEC commissioner.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, urged the President to withdraw Onochie’s nomination.

He said the desperation of the President and his ruling All Progressives Congress, to foist Onochie on INEC, was a bad omen for Nigeria’s democracy.

Wike made the call during the presentation of a six -years progress report to mark the second year of his second tenure held at the Obi Wali International Conference Center, Port Harcourt on Monday.

He said “For goodness’ sake, the nomination and desperation of President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress -controlled National Assembly, to foist an invalid Ms. Lauretta Onochie on Nigerians as INEC’s national commissioner is a bad omen for our democracy.

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